The New World
by OneDeadlySin
Summary: Sakura wakes with little memory of who she is, to a world full of fear. Humans live underground and do not venture 'up top' at night for fear of what lurks within the shadows. She despertly searches for her past but finds it's unlike the world around her.
1. Chapter 1

**"The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear."** **- H.P. Lovecraft**

**Authors Note: **Hi. This is just the Prelude.

[April 2012; Sorry, I seemed to have fallen off the face of the Earth for a few years. But I'm back now and I have decided to revamp this story so I can continue it. Originally this was written in 2008. I fixed the point of view so it actually flowed and added more details to the story. Enjoy.]

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A muffled voice slowly wakes me. I fight to open my eyes with slow tortuous blinks until finally I can keep them open. Only dull grey concrete walls stare back at me. I shift and roll in the bed. It's painful and I have to grip the sheets and pull with all my might just to do it. I'm panting slightly by the time I have accomplished this.

The machines I'm hooked up to begin to beep and the voices stop, which I now can see come from past the illuminated doorframe. A man rushes back into the room.

The light drifting in behind him casts most of his silhouette in shadow. I squint and try to distinguish his features but cannot. He places a hand on my shoulder and asks gently, "Would you like some water?" I nod a little too vigorously and swim in a sea of dizziness.

When the man reenters the room he switches a glaring light on and I throw desperate hands up to protect my eyes. I hear him chuckle and mumble an apology.

Eventually my eyes adjust and I slip my hands back down to rest by my sides. The man is blonde with tattoos on his cheeks. Lines, I realize, three on each side like scratches. I've been staring too long and he smiles at me for this, his cornflower blue eyes sparkling with the action.

He allows me to collect myself as he drops his eyes from mine and busies himself with getting me to a sitting position. His arm wraps around my back as he tugs to get me propped up. My whole body fights back and recoils in pain with each movement.

Once I'm up, he hands me the glass of water. My hands shake with the weight of the cup. The water sloshes back and forth spilling over the sides. I'm near tears as I fight with my own body to perform a simple task. Without a word his hand gently steadies mine. He looks me in the eyes as he helps lower the cup to my lips.

I drink greedily for my throat is so dry it's painful. "Where am I?" I asked, my voice husky and filled with grogginess.

"Underground," he says simply as if that explains everything. He sits beside me on the bed.

"What?" I ask, sitting up straighter. I wince in pain from the act.

"They found you up top. You were really injured and unconscious so they brought you here and we've been caring for you since," he smiles at me after this.

"Where did they find me?" I ask confused. I was having a hard time following any train of thought.

"What is your name," he asks softly.

I frown and try to think of the answer.

_The sound of my heels clicking on the cement ground echo off the barren stonewalls as I run down the corridor. My breath comes short and ragged as I sprint with all my might. "SAKURA!" a faceless man on a platform ahead of me screams in desperation. He is on the second floor looking down at me. I don't slow as I throw myself at the latter and climb to him. I look up to him and see he's looking straight back at me with a strained expression on his face. No, not back at me. Past. He's looking past me, I realized and terror is on his face. _

"Sakura," I say as if in a trance, finally answering the blonde man's question.

"Sakura," he repeats. Gently he asks me, "What is the last thing you remember?"

I frown again. Remember? What do I remember?

_A smile spreads across my face so wide and large I feel silly, but I can't stop it for my joy is too great. A faceless man in a suit takes my hand and leads me through a crowd of people. I'm in a huge ball gown that makes noise as I move. Everyone around us is dressed up to, but as I look at the crowd I see they too are faceless. The man turns and faces me. His hand slides to my waist and my whole body flushes from the act. We began to move then, to dance._

"Dancing," I say. I still can see the ballroom with its wide arched ceiling and long windows that stretch the length of the walls.

"Dancing?" He is frowning at me.

"Yes," I say again, unsure if that was in fact a memory or just a dream.

"Is there anything else you remember?"

"Running," I say as I think of the first memory.

"Running?" he asks.

"Yes," I answer a bit harsher than I mean to but I am beginning to get annoyed as he repeats everything I say.

"And nothing else?" he pushes.

"No."

"Well," the man says as he sits on my bed, "sounds to me like you have amnesia?"

I just look blankly at him.

"Do you remember what you were doing last? Why you would be out up top?" he asks.

"I just told you I don't remember anything," I say angrily. My head hurts and trying to remember makes it worse.

"Besides dancing and running," he says softly.

"Yes, that's-" but I stop mid-sentence.

_"They're coming!" a woman's voice shrieks. _

_The people around me beginning screaming and I begin to get shoved as people run past me. The whole crowd is moving now. I slide out of the panic by avoiding the stampede gushing to the exits. _

_A young girl has lost her mother's hand in the discord. She is sobbing, her hand raised above her, as she runs. She is crying out for her mother. Someone accidently knocks into her and she falls to the ground. I can do nothing but watch. The mob doesn't even break stride as they run her over. I turn away then and run the opposite way of the crowd. _

"Did you remember something new?" the man asks gently.

"Panic. People panicked. Trying to get away," I say. My hands are sweaty and I'm panting. I know I am making little sense. I wipe my palms on the blanket.

"Trying to get away from what?" he prods.

"Them," I whisper.

"Who are they?" he asks leaning forward.

My eyes focus then and I snap back to the room with the grey concrete walls. The panic, the people, and whoever 'they' were long gone from my mind. "I don't know," I whisper.

He nods and seems to accept this. He cups my face with his hand and says, "Maybe you should go back to sleep."

I nod feeling exhausted and he helps me to lie back down. The wave of drowsiness hits and I drift quickly in and out of consciousness. I do not even hearing the door click as he leaves.


	2. Chapter 2

**"The heart was made to be broken." -Oscar Wilde**

**Author's Note: **At the request of my best friend, DarkAngelB, I have updated this story first.Thus the rather quick update. Enjoy!

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My throat was dry. I tried to gather the spit in my mouth so I could swallow, my tongue fruitlessly moving as I attempted so. My eyes fluttered open then and I took in the wall ahead of me. It was brick, painted white, and bare. I realized voices were arguing in the hall again. They were speaking quietly, their words more noise than language, but I continued to strain to hear them anyway. Finally one of them got flustered and spoke louder, with more conviction.

"What if she's with them?" a gruff voice said.

"A human?" it sounded like the blonde man from before.

"We don't know that," the gruff voice said with a grunt.

"She's not one of them. What would she be then," the other man said.

"I," the gruff man started. He paused then. Finally he spoke, barely loud enough for me to hear, "I don't know."

The voices dropped back to quieter tones and I could hear no more. I rolled over, my back flat against the bed, and looked up at the ceiling. More brick. I frowned. It wasn't exactly like a normal ceiling. Then again the man had said I was underground. I wondered why that was. Why would I be underground? A basement maybe?

My back started to hurt so I rolled over again. The position didn't help much, I had been lying far too long, but it was more comfortable than before. Then again my throat was still dry and I desperately wanted water.

I sat up; the blood rushed to my head and caused me to become dizzy. I rose my hand to cup my head and waited for the head rush to pass. It did. Slowly I slid my legs over the side of the bed and carefully dropped off. My feet hit the floor and I stood. I looked down at what I was wearing and I couldn't describe it, exactly. It was like that of a hospital gown only far less appealing, which I hadn't thought possible until this point.

The short gown was grey and sleeveless. It was like a poorly made dress that left the body shapeless, or at least not the natural shape of a woman, and instead left the upper body appearing like a square. It was also short, stopping about mid thigh. I turned my head to look at the back, stepping up on my tippy-toes to do so. My ass was covered at least, if only barely.

_I was walking towards a faceless man standing near a large canopy bed, the flickering candle on a bed table casting shadows on his armor. I could briefly make out his lips as he licked them nervously. _

"_I-," he started and I could see his adam's apple move as he swallowed._

_I rose a finger to my lips and made a shushing noise. I stopped walking then, as I was standing in front of him. I was close but not within arms length. Slowly my hands rose and I slide my arms out of my gown. It was easy to do since the laces in the back were already undone. _

"_My Lady-" he started, his voice shaking. _

"_I told you to be quiet," I said sternly, raising my head to boldly look him in the eyes. I dropped my dress then and it fell to the floor with a whooshing noise. _

_He wasn't looking me in the eyes anymore. And he wasn't protesting either. I smiled and stepped out of the circle of my dress. I stood in front of him, closer than before yet still not touching. He rose his gaze to mine. I looked into his beautiful dark grey eyes and my stomach flipped. I smiled shyly now at him. Scared. Not knowing how this was suppose to start. His face became clearly visible then._

_He had long black eye lashes and short spiky dark black hair that was a startling contrast next to his light skin. His grey eyes were soft now as they gazed into mine. _

"_Give me this night, my love," I said, my voice cracking as my eyes filled up with tears. I lowered my head then, quickly trying to wipe the treacherous tears away. _

_He closed the distance between us with a few quick steps and lightly grabbed my upper arms. I looked up at him searchingly and he lifted his right hand to wipe the tears from my face. I stood unmoving, too afraid he'd leave me if I did anything rash. _

"_I would give you every night if I could," he whispered and took a small step closer. He lowered his lips to my collarbone and I gasped. I could feel his tongue licking the side of my neck and I shut my eyes, lost in the fire of his touch. _

Woozily I fell back into reality. My breath was raged and my body felt heavy. I slid to the floor.

_I went down on my knees. "Where do I untie it?" I asked._

_"Right behind the knee."_

_I rose my eyebrow up at him suggestively and he laughed shakily, his gaze still clouded from desire. I looked away from him, too afraid I'd be tempted to rise and kiss him. I blindly searched for the tie behind his leg. I found it and untied the string. I slide his leg out of the small piece of armor, which was easy since his shoes had been kicked off already. Then turned and did the same to the other leg. Decidedly focusing on the task. After I was done, I slid my hands up his calves, he shuddered and I smiled. He reached down and took my hands into his own, pulling me up to him and kissing me deeply._

"Are you okay?!" a voice yelled.

My eyes snapped open and I stared at the blonde man dumbfound. Everything seemed to be in slow motion then. The blonde man rushing to me. The people I could see through the open door turning to look at me on the floor, their gazes questioning.

_I was on the bed and he was naked above me. My hands were running across his bare sculpted chest where sweat was visible._

A hand touched my shoulder and I turned to see the concerned face of the blonde man. He was speaking but I couldn't make out what he was saying.

_Too much. It was too much. I bit his shoulder and my nails raked against his back._

"Sakura? Sakura!"

My eyes focused and I stared at the blonde man. "Y-yes?" I said after two tries.

"Are you okay?"

_I was laying on my side with his arms circling me as he slept, his face pressed up against my shoulder. I look vacantly into the flame of the candle. Blinking out of the daze I slide my hands across the arms that had always protected me. Lifting one of his hands I kissed it delicately. He rubbed his jaw across my back. I shuddered and gasped as the rough skin from his stubbly chin made contact with mine. I rolled over in his arms and saw he was smiling. _

"_I like it when you smile."_

_He rose his hand and cupped my face, lightly laying a kiss on my lips. _

"Sakura?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe you should lay back down," he suggested.

"I think I've laid enough lately," I said.

"Okay," he said and I noticed his hand was still on my shoulder. I looked down at it and then up into his eyes. He moved it quickly. "Well, shouldn't we at least get you off the floor."

"Alright. Will you help me stand?"

He grabbed my arm and placed it around his shoulders.

_My hand slid across his scratchy jaw, he laid a kiss on my shoulder. He was playing with my fingers with his own. I looked at where our hands touched. He saw and looked too. He intertwined them. _

"_What happens now?" I asked. I had tried to mask the sadness and crushing fear that suddenly gripped me but I doubt my voice masked anything._

_He looked up from our hands and into my eyes. His eyes held such open sadness. "I watch you swear you'll love and cherish another man tomorrow, as planned," he said his jaw clenching at the last. _

_Tears slid from my eyes and slid down my face and into my ear. I reached up and wiped at it quickly, perturbed by the water in my ear. "I don't want to," I said my voice breaking from the pain. "I love you."_

_His lips took mine sweetly and again the world held a rosy glow. He shifted his weight to his arms and pressed me down on the bed._

I was standing.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather lay back down," he asked.

"Yes I'm quite sure. I can stand on my own, thank you," I said and slid my arm from him. I took a deep breath.

"Did you remember something?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"No," I lied.

"Oh," he said sounding disappointed. "Are you sure you're okay to be up around."

"I don't want to lay down anymore," I said.

"Very well. How about we go get you some food then?" he asked.

"Okay. Can I have clothes then?"

His gaze slid down my body, took in my bare feet, rose back up and he nodded. "Yes, I suppose you'll need some. Go sit and I'll get a nurse to get some." He turned and left the room.

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**You become a little better of a person _every time_**** you leave me**** a comment ;)**

_Some pretty pictures;_

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	3. Chapter 3

**"****Pleasure of love lasts but a moment, pain of love lasts a lifetime.****"** -- **Jean Pierre Claris De Florian**

Author's Note: I wrote this chapter right after I uploaded the chapter last night. Before I knew it I looked up at my clock to see it was 4am. My mind seemed to have wondered for a couple hours without me even noticing. Well ENJOY!

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"The showers in here," he said and led me to a peculiar stall.

I stared at him, "I do not understand. I thought I was going to take a bath."

He looked like he didn't know what to say to me. "I'm sorry but there are no baths available," he seemed annoyed and I couldn't fathom why.

"I could wait," I tried to suggest hopefully.

"There are no baths in this med ward. I'm sorry but you'll just have to make due with a shower," he said frigidly. I frowned not knowing what I had said or done to offend him. He had said I could bathe, I don't know why the subject was so touchy now. I just wanted to get clean. A bucket of water would do, for all I cared.

I sighed. He turned and glared at me. "Here's a towel," he turned to leave.

"I do not understand."

He turned back and faced me, "What don't you understand?"

"I do not understand what I am to do with this," I said and raised the towel in my hand.

"You use it to dry yourself," he said and looked me over like I was an idiot.

I made a noise of exasperation, "No, I understand that. But what am I drying myself from," I made a gesture with a swing of my arms, "Where is the water?"

His eyebrows shot up at this and his eyes widened. "Oh," he said. He paused, seemingly at a loss for words, then asked, "Do you not know what a shower is?"

"I," I started, then stopped. "I do not think my definition is the same as yours." I said, understanding.

He walked past me and pressed a button. Water shot out from a nozzle. "Amazing," I said with a gasp and walked forward. I smiled and stuck my hand under the stream of water. "It's warm," I said and turned to the blonde man who had, since my first meeting with him, introduced himself as Naruto.

"And here I was thinking you just thought you were a princess that wanted a bath instead of a shower," he chuckled to himself but I wasn't really listening. My mind already starting to drift from this world. Naruto left me then to take a 'shower'. I slipped my clothes off and stepped into the falling water. The water felt nice. Warm.

_"Princess! Come back," he yelled. I laughed and continued running, knowing he would follow as he always did and probably always would. _

_The boulders were up ahead. I could see them now. I ran and slid through the narrow rocks barely slowing my speed, as this was something I had done since I was child. The grove was up ahead; I could smell it. _

_I ran through the tangerine orchard, changing rows only when pickers blocked my path. They would turn and bow as I would go running past. I would smile and wave back. _

I lathered my hair with soap.

"_Princess!" he yelled. He was getting closer._

_I raced forward. He had gotten quicker since we were younger, I thought. All the training. I frowned. He tried so hard. It was like he was trying to prove something, prove he was worthy of the hospitably my father had given him when he was young._

_I had made it to the end of the field. The forest was ahead. I smiled as I was almost there. I looked over my shoulder to see him emerge from the large bushes. I smiled at him and continued. _

_I ran through the woods, throwing as many trees in between us as I could find. I could hear the water. I slide through the bushes blocking my path when two hands grabbed my waist. _

I stooped and picked up the conditioner the nurse had instructed me to use next.

_I smiled. _

"_Sakura," the tone was reproachful. _

"_Yes?" I asked and leaned back into the circle of his arms._

_I could hear the internal debate, he was surely having with himself, within his head. He was thinking that if he stepped back I might fall so he shouldn't move; yet he really needed to get out of this compromising position, as it was improper. _

_But what did it matter? No one was here to see. _

_But for his peace of mind I stepped out of his hold and he let me. Of course. I walked to the waters edge. "Sakura," he warned._

"_What?" I said, looking back at him. He was frowning. I slipped my shoes off and as I did so watched his face, his eyes widened and his jaw set. I laughed and his expression changed to that of confusion._

_I was always able to tell when he was mad because of the flex of his jaw. I had also always wondered why others didn't notice the obvious change of expression. But then maybe this was just proof that I paid more attention than most. Especially where he was concerned. _

_I looked at him and smiled brazenly as I started undoing my laces. He looked like he would die of a cardiac arrest as he stepped forward, his hand extended, "What are you doing?!"_

"_Swimming," I said and winked at him, my smile widening._

"_Keep your clothes on!" he yelled, his complexion paling._

"_I can't swim in this heavy gown," I said in mock surprise. Although he might get his wish anyway as I was having trouble undoing the upper laces. _

"_Stop it!" he said, his expression muddled, conflict clear upon his face. He was fighting for control._

"_Why?" I asked and gave up on the last laces. Instead I stepped closer to him. _

"_It's improper," he said stepping back. _

"_I'd have my slip on. Besides we used to always go swimming," I pointed out._

"_Yes," he agreed. _

"_So what's the big deal?" I challenged._

"_We aren't kids anymore!" he said flustered. _

"_Are you saying you are going to try to take advantage of me!" I gasped in mock appall._

"_NO!" he said quickly._

"_And captain of the guards too," I continued playing with him._

"_Stop that, that's not what I meant," he said in a monotone voice._

"_No, I suppose you never would," I said serious again. I turned and gave him my back. "Please undo the last of the laces."_

"_Sakura-" he started._

"_The laces," I said, cutting him off._

_He stepped forward without another word and slowly untied them. He lingered at the last one and the back of his hand lightly stroked my neck. It was brief and light, leaving me to wonder if it had happened at all or if I had merely imagined it because I wanted it so badly. But no, the heat from his touch still lingered. _

_He stepped back and I slid the gown from my body. Embarrassed I didn't turn around. I was in nothing but my white slip. Though this might as well be a dress as it went to the ground and covered all of me modestly. I looked over my shoulder at him and was surprised by what I saw. _

_His expression for once was unguarded as he looked at my body in the undergarment. He looked like a drowning man. He looked helpless and like I had hit him with a hammer. Hard. _

_I took in the moment trying to remember his exact expression, everything about it, knowing I would probably never see this look again on his face. At least.. not towards me. It hurt to think about that. About him… with someone else. _

_I knew I would never accept anyone for him. They would never be good enough. But for him I would smile and pretend I was okay. Pretend it didn't destroy my heart to see him with anyone else. _

"_You okay?" I asked._

_He shook his head, like a dog coming out of water. Then it was gone, that expression. He was guarded once again. "I'm fine."_

"_Alright," I said. I turned and stepped into the water. It was pleasantly cool. I dived under, making sure to get my hair wet. When I surfaced I looked around. I found him sitting on a rock near by. I called to him, "Swim with me."_

"_No," he answered._

"_Please?" _

"_No."_

"_Why not?"_

"_It," he said slowly, "would not be proper,"_

"_No one is around," I prompt._

_He smiled but gave a stiff shake of his head._

"_If it was socially acceptable, would you swim with me then?" I asked._

"_No," he answered without pause._

"_Why not?" I asked annoyed._

"_If I was in the water, how would I protect you from an intruder?"_

"_Oh," I said. I hadn't thought of that. Still… "Who would attack here? No one knew I'd be here."_

"_Too risky."_

_I sighed in defeat. "Have it your way." I laid back, floating on my back in the water. "What if a giant monster came out of the water and ate me. You're too far away to be of any help," I finished, lifting my head to hear his answer. _

"_I'll stick to the other threats then. You're on your own for the giant water monster."_

"_Some guard you are," I said. _

_He chuckled and I lowered my head back into the water._

I shut off the water and stood in the shower. Dripping wet.

"_Sakura," he called._

"_Okay," I said, knowing he meant it was time to leave._

_I swam to the edge of the water, where I could stand. _

I opened the shower door and reached out to grab the towel.

_I brushed the hair out of my face and waded a few more steps in the water. I looked up and he was blushing. He was staring at me and his face was beet red. His mouth open. I looked down at my gown to see if anything was amiss when I realized it was practically see through. _

_I knew I was bright red. I could feel the heat on my face. Completely embarrassed, as I was practically nude before him. I looked up and he had already given me his back. _

_He cleared his throat, "You should get dressed so we can leave."_

_I numbly stumbled out of the water and walked towards my crumbled gown in a heap on the ground. I slid into the dress then realized I needed his help to get it on properly. "I need your help," I called. Though to be honest I didn't want him so close yet. _

_He turned, his head pointedly downward, and walked over to me. I turned and gave him my back. He pulled at the ties and began to lace me up. The atmosphere was to say the least, awkward. _

I had dried my body but my hair was still dripping wet, getting my back wet again in the process. I flipped my head over and vigorously rubbed my hair until it was dry enough.

"_Ready?"_

_"Yeah," I said blushing as I looked away. He didn't notice, as he was not making eye contact either. He turned and walked away, heading through the bushes. I followed mutely._

I wrapped the towel around me and looked around for clothes, realizing Naruto had failed to leave them. I sighed and turned to head out the door.

_"Why are you wet?" my father demanded._

_"I fell into the lake," I said nonchalantly. We were standing in a hall of some sort. As it wasn't mealtime there were few people within it. _

_My father looked me over then looked to my companion standing in the corner. He took in my wet clothes and his dry clothes. "You fell in?" he said and strummed his thumb across his chin. _

_"As I'm wet, I should go change. I mustn't catch a cold," I said and turned to leave._

_"Perhaps I should switch your guards," he said to my back._

_I froze, fear gripping me. I calmly turned around, "Why is that?"_

_"Well," he smiled, "I noticed your guard is dry. Which means he didn't try to jump in after you…. fell."_

_I opened my mouth only to close it. I didn't know what to say to him. Finally I said, "That won't be necessary," and turned to walk stiffly away. _

_I could hear my father laughing as I exited the hall. "Go with her," he said. And so my shadow followed me wordlessly, as he always did, to my chamber._

I walked out of the bathroom and saw Naruto standing, his back to me, on the other side of the room. "May I have some clothes, please," I asked.

He turned and smiled at me. He walked the short distance between us and handed me objects of clothing. He took in my towel and wet hair appearance. He looked at me appreciatively. I gave him a look that let him know I noticed him looking at me and he blushed slightly and looked away, saying awkwardly, "Well.. yes.. Um.. Here are the clothes the nurse gave you to wear."

"Thank you," I said simply and turned, heading back into the bathroom to change.

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**Rawr, leave me reviews because you are a good person.. and if you're not.. leave me a review anyway because you can... or something...**

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	4. Chapter 4

**"To die is nothing; but it is terrible not to liv****e." - ****Victor Hugo**

**Authors Note:** Sorry the update took so long. I just couldn't seem to be inspired to write this portion. Though I did write about what happens much later. Anyways I had to move and started classes for summer. blah. oh well its just photography. Anyways, Enjoy!

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I slipped the white dress on, shimming it up past my hips. It complimented me well I thought. I looked at myself once again in the mirror, twirling this way and that to seeing the full effect. Picking up the brush, I began to comb my hair. My eyes went soft and I was dragged into yet another memory.

_"Sakura make him feel welcome. He'll be living with us from now on," my father said as he walked off with an advisor. _

_I turned and eyed the boy next to me. He was staring at the floor, his dark black hair falling in disarray about his face. He was close to my age I noticed. I boldly stepped up next to him; he didn't even move. I squatted on the ground and peered up at him, through his hair. "I'm Sakura," I said. "What's your name?"_

_I stood then and his eyes followed me. "Sasuke," he said quietly. _

_I nodded at this, "Let's be friends," I said smiling. I grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall. He let me. _

"Sasuke," I whispered and with the utterance of his name, it was as if the presence of him accompanied it. Like I could feel him in the room. I realized then that my eyes were closed. I forced myself to open them so I could make sure he wasn't there. I was alone. I set the brush down and headed for the door, leaving the ghost presence behind me.

"You look nice," Naruto said smiling. He had a kind face, comforting. I smiled a small smile in return. "Okay, well how about I give you the tour?" he said with a wink.

"Tour?" I repeated confused.

"Well I'd imagine you'll need to know how to get around? Not to mention you're probably curious as to where you are." His tone was so light, so friendly. I nodded at this and he turned and began to walk down the corridor leaving me with nothing else to do but follow.

We walked down many hallways and up flights of stairs, turning this way and that, and I knew that I was utterly lost. I would not be able to find my way back even if I had to. We finally came to what looked like a guard station. There were tons of people in suits running about looking busy. I peered past the tower and down the large tunnel. Vaguely in the distance a large steel door was visible but the tunnel was dark and made it hard to see.

"This is the wall," Naurto said startling me. I had been captivated by the door in the distance and had forgotten he was there. "There are usually 4 guards on call at a time however, something seems to be going on," he said as we looked at the group of uniformed people running back and forth doing things of importance. "Maybe it is an exercise day?" he said with a shrug.

"Why are they here?" I asked staring at them moving like bees around a hive.

"To make sure the wall doesn't get breeched," he said simply.

I frowned at this. "What are they keeping out?" I asked a little too loudly. I felt the heat rise to my face as I noticed the glances in my direction. They all seemed to stop and stare.

Naruto waved with a big smile on his face and this seemed to snap them out of their gaping. They turned and began working again however the constant peeking in my direction did not escape me. "Why don't we continue our tour?" he said as he walked away.

I pursed my lips at this; discontent he was not answering my question. He continued to walk away, his form growing smaller as he did so. I sigh, took a fleeting glance over my shoulder at the door, and hurried my steps too catch up to him.

We passed many doors and when I asked what they were he would tell me they were living spaces. "How many people live down here?" I asked intrigued by how large this compound seemed.

"A lot," he said with a smile as we headed down some stairs.

"Is this the only," I fought for a word to describe this place but when I couldn't I gave up and continued my question, "place like this?"

"No," Naruto said turning his head to look at me, "there are many throughout the world."

"I don't understand," I started but stopped as we had come to a large room. The ceiling was much higher than the halls we had walked through. It was more like the guard station with the mysterious door. There were tables spread throughout the large hall.

"This is the mess hall. People come to eat, relax, talk," he said putting his hands in his pockets and rocking on his heels.

I looked at the empty tables save for a few. The tables that were occupied were at least two people or more and they all seemed to be talking. I heard a group laugh at something that must have been said.

"Its not dinner time," he said softly. "When it gets closer to dinner time these halls fill up." I looked at him and he smiled.

"What time is it?" I asked curious because I had lost track of any sense of time. It was easy to do when one didn't have the sun to judge things by.

"Three in the afternoon," Naruto answered. "Come we're not done yet."

We walked down more halls with doors, "So these are all rooms?"

"Well, living spaces," he answered with a shrug.

"What's in the living spaces?" I asked.

"A living area, bathroom with shower, bedroom. Those with families have more than one bedroom, of course. As for most single people, they have roommates to fill the other rooms."

"Most?" I asked.

"Well there are some officials who have single rooms," he said as we walked.

"Oh," I said not knowing what else to say. We came to a flight of stairs and took them up. I frowned wondering why we didn't just stay on the first floor and see the mess hall after.

We walked down a few halls then came to what looked like another guard station; the ceiling again was larger. There were only two guards here however. "There numbers will increase when it get closer to night," Naruto said following my gaze. I wondered why that was but said nothing. Naruto nodded to the guard and we walked past.

I glanced to the side and noticed we were walking through an odd shaped arc. When I looked closer I noticed the large gap in the walls on either side of us. Naruto again seemed to notice where I was looking and answered me before I could even raise a question, "Those are doors on either side of us. They're slid back within the wall. However, a press of a button and they will slide shut and be impenetrable."

We passed the narrow tunnel and came out to a large room. I smiled helplessly at the sight. Light trickled down from the ceiling and caste a glow onto the plants in front of us. "This is the best place on the tour in my opinion," Naruto said with a smile as he looked at my expression.

I frowned, "But how does the light come down?"

"Mirrors," Naruto said pointing. I looked up and indeed light was being cast down and onto the plants with mirrors tilted just so. "We thought of just having it roofless. Just have a ceiling made like the doors. One we could push a button and have it close. But the mirrors have been long in place and seem to work well."

"What do you mean they have been long in place?" I asked intrigued. We were now walking through the rows of plants.

"I mean they have been up there for at least a hundred years," he answered. "I don't really know how long actually."

"Were you born down here ?" I asked.

"No. Not when I was younger," he answered and the way he said it made me not want to pry further. "However since coming to this base I have rarely left it."

"Rarely?" I stopped and faced him.

"Well, I went and lived at another base for a time."

"Why?"

He smiled, though this time it wasn't a happy one, "They needed help. Guards. Stability. They had been attacked. Not all survived. I flew there with a group, slept on the floor mostly as I did my work. I helped them stabilize their food supply, got their gates back in working order, and was simply a helping hand for whatever they needed."

I turned and began walking again, "That's noble. Not everyone would do that. Actually very few would."

"Just because they won't does not mean that I have to be one of them."

I glanced over at him, "True but that still doesn't change the fact that you are one of few."

He shook his head, "After everything we all have been through, I would think everyone would be willing to help."

"You'd think, but people are constantly surprising you. Letting you down," I said. I stopped walking.

_"No," an older man said grabbing my arm. He had a slightly bulging belly and a receding hairline. "This way!" he tried to pull me in the direction he meant._

_"No!" I said and pulled my arm free. "There are people that way! We have to help them!" I grabbed at his sleeve this time. His face paled as he looked behind us and down the hall to the sights unseen. Screaming could be heard. Screams for help. _

_"You're on your own then," he said and pulled his arm free. He ran down the hall in the opposite direction._

_"You coward!" I screamed after him, "You will regret your actions, if you live long enough, you damn bastard!"_

_I turned and started running towards the voices._

A hand lightly touched my arm. "Did you remember something?" Naruto asked softly, looking down at me.

"Yes," I said softly my mind coming back to the present.

"What did you remember?" he asked.

"People were screaming for help but I couldn't see them. A man tried to get me to leave them, to run, but I told him we had to help. He left me then saying I was on my own. I called him a coward then turned and began running towards the screaming."

"Do you know where it was?"

I thought back to the memory. We were in a stony hall and there were torches lighting the area. "No all I remember is that the walls were made of stone."

Naruto seemed to wonder at that for a bit then he turned back to me and said, "Lets continue the tour," he smiled and we moved on. "These plants in here are actually back up."

"Back up?" I questioned.

"Yes. We have crops above ground too but if they were ever to be destroyed we'd still have these as well." We had surpassed the crop section of the large room and were coming to a large tree.

"What's the tree for?"

"Its pretty," he said.

"It has no function other than that?"

"Notice there are flowers too," he said nodding towards them.

"Oh."

Bending down he picked a rose and held it out to me; I smiled and took it. "So lets move along, shall we?" he said.

We walked to the end of the garden and came to another guard station set up just like the one on the other side. We walked past that and came to another hall with doors. "Rooms again?" I asked.

"Storage actually," Naruto answered.

I nodded at this.

We walked down a flight of stairs and down some more halls before coming to another large room. Children ran about playing tag and other childlike games. They were young, no more than five. "This is the nursery. This is where the youngest kids come to play and interact." I noticed the adult woman chatting in the corner as they watched the children play. They smiled and waved at Naruto. He smiled and waved back.

"You sure get around," I commented, as everyone we seemed to pass knew him.

He blushed slightly and laughed it off, "Well it isn't exactly a large and open space. You get to know everyone down here."

I doubted this by the mass amount of people and rooms I had seen but I let him excuse away his popularity. Instead I asked as we walked away, "So what about the older kids?"

"We have similar places for certain age groups. They have school as well which they attend," he answered, "Which brings us to our next stop." We walked down the hall and I noticed the doors were numbered. "This is the school," Naruto said.

The hall was larger than the others we had walked through. The doors different colors. The walls even were bright and happy. "We try to make it a happy place for them," he said quietly and glanced back at the children laughing and playing in the distance.

"Naruto," I said softly as we stared at the children, "What are the doors keeping out?"

"Our enemy," he said quietly. He then turned and began walking down the hall. "You'll remember in time. Or you should. They are not forgotten easily."

I was dissatisfied with this answer but I hated seeing that dark look in his eyes so I dropped it. I liked it better when he smiled. Speeding up my steps I caught up with him and walked by his side.

After a time we came to another set of stairs leading down. "I hope you know I have no idea how to get anywhere," I said to him.

He chuckled, "The first floor is where the gate and garden was at. Second floor was the mess hall. Third was the school. And fourth is the medical ward."

"Why didn't you show me the gate and the garden at the same time earlier? Being that we were on the same floor?" I asked.

"Oh. The gate and the garden may be on the same floor but they are not connected," he said with a smile.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Security reasons. Now my lady, we are back in the medical ward."

"_My Lady."_ A voice not that of Naruto's whispered in my head.

"Sakura?" Naruto asked looking concerned.

I shook off the haunting voice and smiled, "Yes?"

He still looked a bit concerned but he said nothing of it. "This is the main nurses station." The nurses in question looked up and smiled warmly at Naruto. "And down here was your room." We came to the end and sure enough it was the room I had woken up in. "But I think we can get you a nicer room than this."

"Okay," I answered. To me it didn't really matter. A bed was a bed no matter where it was.

He turned then and flashed a large smile at a pretty nurse. She blushed and smiled sheepishly back. "Can I get her bag with the stuff she had on and with her?" The nurses nodded and hurried to retrieve it. Naruto turned and looked back at me. I raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled sheepishly.

The nurse returned then with a small bag, she handed it to Naruto, "Here it is," she said, "Is there anything else I could get you?" I got the feeling it was an open ended question.

"No, thank you though." We turned and walked out of the health ward and to the stairs. Once one the second floor he led me through another maze of halls until stopping abruptly at a door. He opened it and walked in.

The room we walked into had a couch and very little else. There was a bookshelf with an unorganized book collecting. The books were not lined neatly within the shelves. A small cage was above the book shelf. I frowned. "What is that?"

"What is what?" Naruto asked turning back to look at me to see what I was looking at. He followed my gaze, "That's my hamster."

"Your what?" I asked walking closer to the cage.

"Hamster."

"Hamster," I said trying the word on my lips. I looked at the fuzzy creature sleeping in a tube. It was surrounded by fluff. I tapped the glass and it opened its eyes, rolled over and went back to sleep. I smiled as it shunned me.

"Your rooms here," Naruto said and opened a door on the other side of me. I straightened and walked towards the room.

"Sorry its so barren, no one lives there," Naruto called from the other room. The one on the other side of the hamster cage.

Then realization hit me. "I'm going to be living with you?" I turned and saw him bare foot and shirt less as he walked out of his bedroom.

"Is that a problem?" he asked.

My jaw went slack as it took in the abs. My eyes trailed down to the v at his waist. I snapped my gaze back up but he was already turning, giving me his back. It was as muscled as the font but something made me catch my breath when looking at him. There was a deep scar across his right shoulder blade.

"I'm going to take a shower. Feel free to look at anything," he walked into the bathroom and shut the door.

I stood staring after him. After a few minutes the shower kicked on and I realized I had been staring blankly at the door that separated us. I turned stiffly and walked into my new room.

* * *

**As always Comments are appreciated and wanted. )**

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Gravity- Sara Bareilles**

**Something always brings me back to you.  
It never takes too long.  
No matter what I say or do I'll still feel you here 'til the moment I'm gone.**

****

You hold me without touch.  
You keep me without chains.  
I never wanted anything so much than to drown in your love and not feel your reign.

**CHORUS:**

**Set me free, leave me be. I don't want to fall another moment into your gravity.  
Here I am and I stand so tall, just the way I'm supposed to be.  
But you're on to me and all over me.**

**You loved me 'cause I'm fragile.  
When I thought that I was strong.  
But you touch me for a little while and all my fragile strength is gone.  
****  
CHORUS:**

**I live here on my knees as I try to make you see that you're everything I think I need here on  
The ground.  
But you're neither friend nor foe though I can't seem to let you go.  
The one thing that I still know is that you're keeping me down**

* * *

**Authors Note**:_ Hope you enjoy the update._

* * *

**SIX MONTHS LATER. . . **

"Are you sure you're ready for this," Naruto asked concern apparent in his eyes.

"I'll be fine," I smiled and touched his hand which was lightly gripping my arm.

He frowned at my answer but nodded and dropped his hand. He turned to the wall before us and grabbed an orange and black helmet off the wall. "It can be very dangerous," he warned me yet again.

"I know," I replied as I stepped next to him and grabbed a red and black helmet. I smiled again at him, "Danger doesn't scare me," I said and turned from him.

"Thats what scares me," he said with a grunt.

"Oh don't worry so much. I've been well prepared on what to do. I'm as good as anyone else whose about to go up there," I said over my shoulder at him. I walked to the bench that had our stuff placed on it and began to finish packing my bag.

"Except they've been doing it far longer," he said as he walked towards me.

"Everyone has to start somewhere," I said without looking up at him.

He leaned down and placed his hands on my shoulders. I straightened and stood upright instead of hunched over the bench as I had been. I turned my head slightly and looked at his gloved hand on my left shoulder. The glove was mostly black except for the skeletal-like orange pattern on the top of the glove. I was wearing identical gloves except instead of orange I had red. Our body suits were much the same, mostly black except where the color ran in patterns on our sides. "You don't have to do this," he whispered.

"Yes," I whispered back, "I do."

"Why?" his voice was slightly louder as he asked the question; it held a frustrated edge.

"You don't have to come," I said with a shake of my head.

"We've been over this," he said and sighed, his hands dropping from my shoulders. "I will go if you go."

I turned and meet his gaze, "You don't need to do that."

"I want to," he said staring at me intently.

I turned my back to him and began packing my bag again. I could hear him step back and lean against the lockers on the opposing wall. Finished shoving what I could in the bag, I turned back to him. He was leaning against the green lockers like I had thought. His arms were crossed across his chest and his face was grim. "Ready?" I asked and turned from him not waiting for an answer. Instead I headed out of the room.

I had remembered very little since I had arrived at this base six months ago. I still didn't remember being found by them nor how I had ended up in the hospital wing. Nothing that could tell me how I had arrived at the base. What little memories I had were of my childhood with Sasuke the boy who had come and lived with us since I was about six. Maybe eight but I was pretty sure I was six. Somewhere in our early teen years he had started to train with the guards eventually becoming one.

My father assigned him as my head guard by the time I was fifteen and he was ever by my side. Then I could remember nothing until the night I slept with him in a chamber within the castle. I knew enough to know it had not been my room. Earlier there had been a ceremony of some sort, the details were lost as that memory was just snapshots of the events. Then somehow I was in the room with the bed.

After the morning in the chamber I remembered nothing as well. Nothing in my memories had as much of a chronological order as up to the night in the room with Sasuke. It was like after that, time was warped. I had a feeling the terror memories, like the one with the poor child trampled by the crowd, came after the night in Sasuke's arms but I couldn't place when they happened and those type of memories were few and answered nothing.

Even more puzzling were the words spoken by Sasuke that night. Did I get married the next day? And if I did why was I not wearing a wedding ring on my hand now? I had so many questions and had so few answered. Maybe going above would help me remember something.

I entered the brightly lit room where the chopper was. "Sakura!" Lee said as he bounded towards me. He was taller than I with black hair and bushy eyebrows. I had meet him shortly after I started living with Naruto. I smiled an uncomfortable smile at Lee. He was always so happy to see me. I mentally sighed.

"Hey Lee," I replied. His jumpsuit was black and a green mixed with orange. His helmet was off, probably within the chopper. I held mine under my arm.

"You know I will be by your side the whole time so there is no need to worry," he assured me.

Great. "Thanks Lee," I said as I walked towards the chopper, Lee by my side.

Sai looked up from loaded something into the chopper and asked, "Where's Naruto?"

"He should be coming soon," I answered. Sai reminded me of Sasuke a lot, maybe it was the darker looks with the light skin or perhaps it was the personality disposition. Sasuke talked to me more though. And Sasuke was more attractive. He had a better personality too, not that Sai's was bad. Sasuke was just... more.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked Sai.

"Coming," he replied and began loading the stuff back into the chopper. His tone was final, thus ending our conversation.

"Are you nervous?" Lee asked abruptly apparently trying to monopolize me not that he had to worry about Sai, of all people, taking my time away from him.

"Not really," I said and sat down in a chair. "Just antsy."

"Well if your nervous thats normal," he said and plopped down in the chair next to me. Who was he trying to convince, me or him? I smiled then quickly frowned to cover it up.

"Are you nervous?" I asked trying to keep the smile off my face.

"No.. of course not," Lee said shaking his head slowly, he then quickly added, "But if you are that is perfectly understandable."

"You know you don't have to go today," I pointed out.

"I wouldn't let you go alone," he said.

"I wouldn't be alone," I said and slumped lower into the chair.

Lee frowned probably as he thought about who all was coming, no doubt. Whatever I had said had made him be quiet and for that I was glad. Lee was nice and all but I could only handle him in small doses at a time. His admiration of me was quite the burden.

The sound of the doors opening echoed in the large room. I turned my head to see Neji and Shikamaru enter. Neji's suit was white and black. Shikamaru's solid green and black. Behind them Kakashi and Iruka followed; their suits grey and black, blue and black.

I wondered briefly why all the suits were different and not uniform. It pasted quickly. "Ready?" Kakashi asked.

"Where's Naruto?" Iruka asked.

"He should be-" I started to say but the doors to the locker room opened and Naruto stepped out.

"Let's go," Kakashi said and climbed into the chopper.

I took a deep breath then stood and followed the men into the small chopper. As soon as I climbed in I heard Lee, "Here Sakura, I saved a seat for you." I started to head that way when Naruto passed me and sat in the seat Lee had 'saved' for me.

When Lee tried to complain Naruto spoke over him, "Hurry and sit down Sakura before we take off." He gestured to the seat on the other side of him. I listened and sat at his side but not before glancing over at him and smiling at his cruel behavior toward Lee. He smiled a smug smile back at me.

Shikamaru was in the pilot's seat and next to him was Kakashi. I imagined Kakashi was very capable despite how hard he tried to act as the flighty type. I leaned my head back against the head rest as the engine started and the blades started to propel around.

"You're not a nervous flyer are you?" Naruto teased.

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

"Suppose thats true."

The sound of the engine reminded me of other things. I frowned as the memory pulled me under.

_"Run!" Sasuke said. We were in a room with large machine like things inside. Fire was visible within the machinery whatever they were. We were flights down as I could see a metal staircase we must have climbed down to get to this point._

_"What about you?" I screamed back my hands gripping his arms, tears in my eyes._

_"I'll catch up to you," he said and as he saw the disbelief in my eyes he leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "I promise." He kissed my cheek and forced me to let go. "Now go."_

_I had been wrong. We had not climbed down the stairs, we had come through the door on the other side of the machinery. I ran towards the stairs and began to climb them as fast as I could. I was near the top when someone knocked down the door. I was almost to the door at the top. I glanced down._

_Sasuke drew a gun._

_I was at the door. I looked down again._

_A blur hit him and he was on the ground gun lost. He rolled and hit the blur with his sword which he must have drawn as he rolled. The blur stopped moving and I saw it was a man, his back was to me so I couldn't make out the face. "GO!" Sasuke yelled._

_I turned and ran out the door._

The chopper took off from the ground and soon we were out into the sky, out of the safety of the base.

"Did you remember something," Naruto asked me softly as we flew through the air.

"Yes," I said, "but it doesn't help me any."

"What were you doing?"

"I was in a room with machines. I was told to run by my bodyguard and I did. I ran up the flights of stairs but before I left the room I looked down to see him attack someone. I couldn't see who."

Naruto was silent.

"See it doesn't help at all," I said.

"I suppose it doesn't but it is a memory. Its good that you're remembering anything at all, no matter how trivial," he said and nudged me with his shoulder. I saw past him and looked onto an unhappy Lee. It was only briefly as Naruto soon obscured my view again.

We fell into silence shortly after this until Iruka nodded at Naruto and he said, "We're almost to a drop point. You scared now?"

"Does it matter?" I said to him.

"Yes," he answered sternly.

"I've got butterflies but I'm ready."

"Its daylight. They won't be out."

"You've still not told me what 'they' is you know."

"I'm still waiting for you to remember."

"What if I never do?"

We dropped lower, nearly hovering over the ground. Finally we landed, the propellers slowed but did not stop. Neji slide the door open and was the first outside. Everyone else followed suit, everyone except Shikamaru who remained in the pilot's seat. After the last person was out, Kakashi slid the doors shut again and Shikamaru took off. We were to meet sometime later for a pick-up. The location different as a safety precaution.

We were in a park like area. A large grassy field around us.

"This way," Kakashi said as he headed for the trees. Everyone followed wordlessly. We past the trees and came to a city. Or what perhaps used to be one.

Ruins surrounded us. I was shocked at the decaying buildings. It was like everyone had up and disappeared. The group passed a convenience story. I stopped and glanced inside. The windows were almost too dirty to see through. It had long been abandoned, the racks over turned.

"What happened?" I asked stunned by what I saw around me. Everything was eerie. The dead city was too quiet.

Lee frowned at the question but said nothing. Naruto lightly grabbed my elbow and steered me forward, "Come on."

"Why won't anyone tell me?"

"Its not that we won't," Iruka said. "Its that we're hoping you'll remember and we don't want to influence you."

"What do you mean influence me? Like I would what... make something up?" I asked. When Iruka flenched at my words I gasped, "You guys still don't trust me!"

Naruto put his hand on my back, "I trust you."

"Are you going to tell me then?" I pressed.

"No, I want you to remember," he said.

I turned and began to follow Kakashi again.

"Is that a body?" Lee asked as we came to the remains of what once had been a church. Only one wall was left, surprisingly the stain-glass was still in tack. In a patch of grass laid, sure enough, a body.

"Shit," Iruka said and froze.

Neji was quicker, he was the first to the body. "He's still alive," he said.

Naruto was the second to the body. He helped Neji roll the man over. A man with red hair and slanted eyes lay limp on the ground.

"Does anyone know who this is?" Kakashi asked.

"He's my husband," I answered and as soon as I said the words I knew them to be true. Naruto looked shell-shocked but I was not focused on Naruto. I was focused on the body in front of me.

"Let's get him to the chopper," Kakashi said picking up Gaara. Iruka ran over and helped him with the body.

_"There you go," the woman said looking up and smiling at me. She had finished hemming my dress._

_I turned from her and looked at myself in the mirror. The white dress fell to the floor. I had opted out of the veils which cover the face and instead had one that come out from my tightly done hair. White flowers had been delicately placed around the bun. "I shouldn't be wearing white," I said as I stared at my pale face in the mirror._

_"What are you saying, princess?" The woman said with a gasp._

_"Okay," Ino said rushing forward in her purple gown. It was silk and it clung to her in all the right places. Her hair was up and curls cascaded down. "Thank you so much for you help," she said taking the woman's arm and showing her to the door._

_The woman went as she was pulled but she looked to me, her mouth open, as she searched for an answer to what I had meant. Ino firmly shut the door and leaned against it. She turned and glared at me hissing, "What are you thinking?"_

_I was shaking my head no as I stared at myself in the mirror. Over and over. Ino pushed off the door and wrapped her arms around me. Tears slipped out and I stared horrified into the mirror. I reached out and put my hand on the glass._

_"Make it stop. Make time stop," I said as I shook._

_"Honey," Ino said, "I can't."_

_I closed my eyes and dropped my head. My body followed suit and with it Ino was dragged to the floor, her arms till wrapped around me._

_Eventually the tears stopped. Ino stood and grabbed some tissues. She mopped up my face as I sat numbly staring into space. She said nothing as she cleaned me up and reapplied my make-up._

_She stood again and stretched out her hand. I took it and she helped me to stand. "It's almost time," she said softly._

_I nodded. I knew._

_"I'm just going to out and see how everything is going. I'll be right back, okay?" she said with a frown. She was worried about me. Somewhere inside I felt bad for that, but right now I wasn't concerned with how others felt._

_The door clicked shut and I was alone. I turned and looked back at the mirror. My stomach tossed and I felt sick. I took a deep breath. I could do this. I could._

_But did I want to?_

_My feet were moving before I realized it. I threw the window open, picked up my dress, and crawled out of it as best I could._

_Where would he be?_

_I ran into the forest not caring that I was in a white dress only caring that I could see his face one more time. Just once more and maybe my world wouldn't seem as drab and confining._

_I ran into the forest my dress pulled up so I wouldn't trip. I ran deeper and deeper. My mind was blank except for one thought as I ran, FIND HIM._

_The familiar sound of water could be heard and not long later I had reached the clearing. Sasuke sat by the water's edge. He turned at the sound of my approach._

_Upon the sight of me he flew up. "What are you doing here?" he asked surprise and shock apparent on his face._

_"I.." I started. "I had to see you."_

_"Why?"_

_Tears slid down my face again, "What do you mean WHY? How can you ask me that?"_

_He walked to me. Cupping my face he leaned down and kissed me. I cired. It hurt. It hurt so much. How could I ever survive the loss of him, the loss of this?_

_"You have to go back," he whispered still holding my face._

_"How can you accept that?" I asked my voice breaking._

_"Because it is for the good of everyone," he answered._

_"What about you? Is it for your benefit too?" I leaned my forehead forward onto his shoulder._

_"I don't matter," he whispered._

_"You do to me," I whispered back. "If you will not think about yourself, fine. What about me? Is it for my own good too?"_

_"Yes. He can give you everything I can't."_

_"No," I said and lifted my head up so I could stare into his eyes, "I don't care about possessions. I love you. I will always love you. And only you make me happy, truly happy," I cupped his face and leaned closer, "Only you." I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him._

_I was suddenly back at the church again. Sasuke had walked me almost all the way back. I felt hollow inside, like someone had scrapped away everything good and left me barren._

_I walked back into the church and slipped into the small room with the mirror. Ino rushed in after me, "Where have you been?! I've been looking for you!"_

_"Sorry I just needed some air," I said. Everything felt surreal. How had my life come to this point? I had always thought I'd get married happily. That I would love my husband. That I would mean it._

_"Look at your dress its got dirt on it," she grabbed a cloth and leaned down helping to clean the dress._

_Then I was walking down the aisle with a death grip on my bouquet. I glanced at Sasuke in the crowd, the pain was so sharp I thought my heart felt like it would leap out of my chest and wither on the floor._

_I was chocking on the words I do._

_Gaara's kiss was uncomfortable and repulsing. Those were not the lips I wanted to taste on my own. His touch did not burn. Instead his touch was cold._

_The reception passed by in a blur._

As Kakashi and Iruka lifted the body, Gaara opened his eyes. He squinted as the bright light hit him but he seemed to recover quickly. He scanned the scenario and then his eyes rested on me.

Gaara's green eyes continued to stay fixed on me as he stood, pulling out of Kakashi and Iruka's hold. "Hello Sakura," he said his voice gruff.

I stepped back. "Gaara," I whispered. He couldn't hear me but my companions could via the headsets within the helmets. It was a wonder how Gaara had noticed me right away. The front was see through, I guess. But it was still difficult.

"Not going to give your husband a kiss hello?" he asked in an acidity tone.

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**And.. end scene.. lol.  
Leave me a comment! I write more and update FASTER with comments :P **


	6. Chapter 6

**I still feel your touch in my dreams.  
Forgive me my weakness, but I don't know why  
Without you it's hard to survive.**

**'Cause everytime we touch, I get this feeling.  
And everytime we kiss I swear I could fly.  
Can't you feel my heart beat fast, I want this to last.  
Need you by my side.**

**--Every Time We Touch, Cascada**

**Authors Note: **This is a short chapter but I posted the last update yesterday so you all can KISS IT. lol... and the next one will be shortly.. later this week most likely.

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I felt like the entire world was spinning but I stuck standing still, everything a blur around me.

"Let's get him to the chopper," Kakashi said. "You can get medical care at our base."

"Kakashi..." Iruka started to say in a reproachful tone but Kakashi was already steering Gaara forward.

The two, Kakashi and Gaara, passed me. Gaara didn't take his eyes off me. I was relieved after he passed and I couldn't see if he was still staring. Naruto, like me, hadn't moved. He looked stunned and confused as he stared at Gaara's back. I didn't move to comfort him. I didn't even say words of comfort. For in fact I did not know what to say so I said nothing. Instead I stood hands at my side and face slack with too much emotion and let the world move about me.

Iruka followed Kakashi's wake and Neji soon followed Iruka. Naruto and I were standing alone. He was staring after my husband and I was staring at the grassy bed within the church.

_I kissed Gaara on the cheek. "I'm going to go for a walk. All this talk, I'm so bored."_

_He smiled and his hand slid from my waist, "Don't wander too far."  
_

_"Not too far," I said with a smile._

_The echo of the men's voices could be heard as I walked down the familiar halls of my father's castle. I ran my hand down the wall as I walked. It was as if touching it made it more real. Soon I was outside. I walked past the people mulling about in the courtyard and out passed the gate. I slipped into the forest unnoticed and walked slowly until I reached the familiar body of water. This is where Sasuke and I first kissed. I had been sixteen years old. I had kissed him when he wasn't expecting it but more to my surprise was that he had responded to the kiss. It had been my first real kiss. This was also the place where Sasuke had kissed me for the last time._

_It had been two years. Two years without him._

_I walked over to the familiar boulder, squatted down, and sat on it. I pulled my legs up to my chest and hugged myself. How had this happened to me? I wondered for the millionth time in the past two years. I lowered my forehead onto my knees._

_After the marriage I had to go live with Gaara in his country. The marriage was a sign of good will and change. We represented a strong alliance. The Lands had come together to fight against a new Land which was constantly trying to take over. We knew little about their tactics for hardly anyone survived their attacks._

_I had always known why we were suppose to marry. Why it was for the good of everyone. Everything said that this was for the best. He was of my status, of my class, and he and I represented the Lands. We were an icon for the people. We smiled and waved and were always in the public light._

_But at night I didn't think of my husband. When my mind wandered in the middle of the day I was not thinking of my husband. I thought of only one person. My mind, my heart, couldn't let go. When I closed my eyes I saw a pale face with a stern expression and dark hair. I didn't dream of green cat-like eyes but instead I dreamt of gray charcoal eyes in a sea of expressions._

_Sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night and I would forget where I was at. My arm would reach back searching for a body that was only once beside me. Gaara would scoot closer in his sleep, his arm would surround me. This was the worst out of anything I had to deal with because for those few seconds when I didn't know whose bed I laid on I had felt so light. So happy. Then the memories would crash back down and I would feel my loss again as if it was new. _

_Gaara was not a bad man. He deserved so much more than me. When I had first arrived at his home he had given me the full tour, showed me his favorite places around the country. He took time out of his day to talk to me and make me feel like I had a home within his. No, he was not a bad man. He was decent and kind one. _

"So..." Naruto said breaking the silence, "you're.. married?"

"Yes," I said. I blinked out of the daze and focused on Naruto. He was already looking back at me.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked sounding hurt.

"I didn't remember until I saw him," I said.

"Oh," Naruto said, "Well, yeah."

I felt bad. Naruto had become my friend. I had known he liked me but I had hoped it would pass. But it hadn't and instead he just got hurt. He looked uncomfortable as I stared at him.

He visibly swallowed hard before asking. "Do you love him?" he asked.

"He is a good man," I finally said.

"That didn't answer my question," Naruto said bluntly.

"No," I said and glared slightly at him, "no, it did not." I looked away and out into the deserted city.

Naruto seemed to wait for me to answer and when I did not he asked, "Are you going to answer?"

I sighed and squinted at the spot I had chosen to look at. "It's actually not any of your business if I love my husband or not," I said. I instantly regretted my words because I saw Naruto flinch slightly at them. Remorseful I answered his question, "Yes, I love him just not the way a wife should."

"Does... that mean..."

"I love him as a friend or perhaps a family member but not in the way I should," I said and my voice shook.

"If you didn't love him," Naruto said softly but sternly, "Why did you get married?"

"I didn't want to but I had to," I said.

"Did he force you?" Naruto asked anger rising in his tone.

I laughed but it was a sad laugh almost a cry, "No. No, he did not."

_I clutched my knees a little closer to my chest and stared out at the water. I had hoped even today that I might see Sasuke. I always hoped I would see him. Every time my father said he would visit my hopes would sore only to get dashed as the party entered and he was no where to be seen. My father always said he was busy doing something or other but he sent his regards. Whether or not my father knew why Sasuke skipped my visits wasn't known as he never let on the wiser._

_"How could you leave me?" I whispered. _

The questioning look in his eyes lead me to answer with a roll of my eyes, "Arranged."

"People still do that?" he asked in surprise.

"I don't know. It was very common where I was."

"Weird."

"Everything here seems weird. Its like I'm in a completely different universe," I said.

"Does that mean you have all your memories back?" he asked.

"No. Two years after my wedding then nothing," I sighed.

Naruto stepped closer, "You'll remember."

"Yeah. I will," I said. "I just don't know if I want to anymore. It was so much easier not remembering."

Naruto looked sad at my answer and opened his mouth to say something when Iruka called out to us, "Hurry up!"

I took the chance to escape his questions and ran back to the helicopter.

_The bushes rustled and I leapt from my place on the rock. Sasuke emerged from them. My chest tightened and I found it hard to breath. I stared with my mouth open, my eyes questioning, and my hand raised to my throat._

_"I thought you'd probably want to talk alone for the first time rather than around a group of people," he said after the silence had grown awkward. He seemed very uncomfortable, rather unlike him._

_"You never came to see me," I said. The words had come out before I could stop them. _

_"What good would it have done but hurt us both. Or at least me," he said and turned his head to the side._

_"What's that suppose to mean? At least you?" I said my shock starting to wear off with the anger._

_"Two years is a long time," he said softly._

_Oh. My stomach jumped into my throat. He had someone else. He loved someone else. "I see," I said trying to fight back tears. I looked away from him. "I guess it was bound to happen," I said and tried to smile but it was more a grimace of pain._

_He flinched too. He turned and gave his back to me, ran his fingures in his hair. The pain in my chest felt like it should be physical. It hurt so much more than the separation, than the goodbye. This was the type of pain that made someone jump into freezing lakes, jump off of roofs, slit their wrist, poison, and any other form of suicide. This kind of pain was the unbearable kind. I felt like gravity was too strong and I was being weighted down. I stared at his back and felt such a loss._

_"What's her name?" I asked softly though I had no right to._

_"What?" he asked turning around to look at me._

_"The woman you love, what's her name?" I asked again._

_"What woman?" he asked frowning._

_"The one you love," I said getting annoyed, tears were threatening to leak out._

_"You?" he asked confused. "Why are you talking in third person?"_

_"I.. I.. I wasn't!" I said. "You just said two years was a long time and that see me would hurt you so I thought-" I said my voice breaking with the words._

_He strode over to me and placed his hand over my mouth, "There is no woman." I started crying. I was shaking, the tears wouldn't slow, and I was making small noises as my body shook with the shear force of my tears. His arms wrapped around me and I clung to him._

_When I was merely hiccuping with intakes of breath, the tears long gone, he said, "I meant you loving your husband."_

_I lifted my head off his chest and looked up at him, "He is a very good and kind man but I do not love him. I love you."_

_He closed the distant and when our lips touch I felt burned. He started to lean back from the chaste kiss but I quickly rose my arm and ran my fingers through his hair. I gripped the strands of hair near his roots and pulled him roughly back down to my lips. I plunged my tongue into his mouth and took out two years of anger and loneliness. The kiss, his touch; it was everything I remembered. _

I made it to the chopper. Neji was climbing in. I went to the helicopter without looking back at Naruto and climbed in. The engine and propeller noise was deafening but I was glad as I wished for the silence.

Gaara continued to stare at me wordlessly. I tried to pretend not to see, it failed mostly. It was a long ride back to the base.

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**Ah! I almost forgot to add this at the end. I WANT REVIEWS... thanks.. lol. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I Would Die For You  
I Would Kill For You  
I Will Steal For You  
I'd Do Time For You  
I Will Wait For You  
I'd Make Room For You  
I'd Sink Ships For You,  
Take The Cross For You  
Make Me A Part Of You**

_-- #1 Crush, Garbage_

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**Author's Note: sorry it took so long for an update. Went into my own world for a bit.**

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The chopper shook slightly when we landed. Everyone had been silent for the flight except for Lee who seemed to try to fill the awkward silence. He just made it worse rather than better. Neji slid the door open and hopped out. I stood and hobbled to the door but as I was about to step out someone grabbed my wrist. I turned surprised and found it was Gaara. He opened his mouth like he was going to say something but then shut with an audible snap and he dropped his hand. He turned away from me then and I jumped out of the helicopter.

_Sasuke pulled back from the kiss. His breath was ragged, so was mine. He swallowed and dropped his forehead onto my shoulder. "We can't," he said into my shoulder._

__

"I know," I whispered back.

_Slowly he dropped his arms from my around me. We stood like that for awhile just staring into each other's faces not touching. _

I walked through the dark garage and headed back into the locker room.

_"You should go back first," he finally said breaking the silence._

_"Okay," I said softly. I turned and started to make my way through the trees. I snuck but one look back at him; he was staring back watching me leave with a painful scowl on his beautiful face. I hated seeing that look on it. I turned and quickened my steps. _

I opened the locker and grabbed my clothes then headed to the woman's changing area.

_Gaara smiled at my return, I smiled weakly back. "Did the walk help?" he asked._

_"Yeah," I lied. I walked to his side within the large chamber. He picked up my hand, turned, and began addressing the advisor again still holding my hand captive._

I walked back into the locker room and tossed my suit into the bucket marked 'dirty'. Naruto came in behind me and tossed his over my head. It fell right into the basket. We stared at each other wordlessly neither knowing what to say.

_Weeks pasted at my father's place. Gaara and my father were planning some mode of attack as the enemy had been steadily advancing into our territories. Defense first though, offense second. At night everyone would gather in the giant hall for dinner. Sasuke always made sure to sit as far away as possible which was easy to do with the vast number of tables._

__

"Sleep?" Gaara asked quietly when I yawned.

I nodded, "A bit."

"We'll go then," Gaara said and stood. Raising his voice he added, "Thank you again for the wonderful meal, Haruno." Garra took my head and pulled me up from where I sat. "Until tomorrow," he called as he steered me across the room.

"Ah, goodnight. Goodnight," my father bellowed to us with a wave of his hand.

I saw Sasuke out of the corner of my eye hunch and quickly leave the room. He was headed in a different direction of course.

I turned my face away from the crowd and frowned. I numbly allowed Gaara to pull me to our room.

I turned from Naruto and headed for the door. I was standing under the door frame when he called out, "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"No," I said not even bothering to turn around. I walked out of the room.

He followed after me, "Nothing? You have NOTHING to tell me."

"Oh I'm sorry, did I owe you something?" I said stopping my stride and turning back to face him.

His eyes widened when he saw the defiance on my face. His lips parted slowly. "Oh I'm sorry your highness someone as lowly as I shouldn't bother you." he said with an acid sneer.

I didn't even blink, "Now you do." He had meant it as a joke, what he hadn't realize was how accurate it was. I turned and started walking away the anger showing in my every step.

"Wait what?" he asked after me.

I ignored him.

_Gaara was by the bed getting dressed, I was under the covers. The sun hadn't risen yet. "We leave tomorrow," he said as he slid his pants on._

_My eyes opened wide with horror, my stomach twisted in nots, "So soon?"_

_Pants on, chest bare, he leaned over and put his hand on my face, "It'll be okay."_

_"Yeah, I know," I said. Though I wasn't exactly worried about him. He would be farther away from the action than Sasuke. I sat up in the bed._

_Gaara leaned down and kissed my bare shoulder, "It'll be fine." His green cat-like eyes locked with mine. I smiled and nodded weakly. He turned and finished getting dressed._

I took the stairs down to the second floor.

_Quietly I snuck through the empty halls. Gaara had left for he had some work, final plans, to take care of. I slipped into the familiar room. I walked to the bedside_.

I walked down the now familiar halls.

_A knife was against my neck. "Sasuke," I whispered into the dark._

_"Sakura? What the hell are you doing here?" he asked as he lowered the knife._

_"He said you were leaving tomorrow," I said. Sasuke lit a candle near his bed. He didn't switch the light on for fear of someone seeing it._

_"Sakura you shouldn't be here."_

_"I had to see you," I said the struggle not to cry apparent in my voice._

_He let out a large huff of breath, "You should go." _

_"No," I said shaking my head._

_"Sakura," he chided. _

_"You don't have to go. There are so many other soldiers, you don't need to go," my voice broke at the last. _

_He wrapped his arms around me as I cried softly. "Please don't leave me," I whispered._

_"I have to go," he answered._

_I clutched him a little tighter and he let me, in fact his arms seemed to wrap me a little tighter as well. I slid my hand up his back and to his neck. I rose on tiptoes to kiss him slowly. When I pulled back I saw his long black eye lids flutter open._

_"I thought we agreed not to do that again," he said his voice slightly husky_.

"Things change," I whispered back against his lips, my eyes lowered as I stared at them.

_H__is hands moved down my sides, caressing me until he came to my hips. He gripped my hips and tugged me closer. I eagerly let him pull me in for I wanted every inch of my body to be touching him. He lowered his mouth back onto mine._

_We didn't break the kiss as we stepped back. He penned me against the wall as he eagerly attacked my mouth. I wrapped my arms behind his head and pushed off the wall to get closer. He shoved me back against the wall and leaned closer. He pulled back from my lips ad started working his way down my jaw. The fire from his touch was almost scalding. I slipped my underwear off and wrapped my legs around his waist as he lifted me up against the wall._

I was brought back to reality when the chopper started to tilt as it landed. Garra was still staring and Naruto still seemed at a loss for what to say. I looked away from them both and stared out the window instead. I wasn't really looking at one thing just avoiding dealing with the awkward tension. After what seemed like hours we finally landed and everyone started to shuffle out. I slid into the mix and hurried out. Anything to get away. I felt like running and never looking back. Unfortunately there was no where I could go. I sighed and quickly changed out of the jumper.

I quickly hurried out of the locker area and ran up the stairs unnoticed like the coward that I was. I simple just didn't want to deal with anything. Maybe there was a reason I forgot everything; it was my brain's way of dealing with my life. And as I was beginning to learn I had one hell of a messed up life. I sighed as I pushed the door and exited into the hallway. I had made it away without anyone seeing or bothering me from the flight crew. I scuttled down the hall saying hello and hi to people as they passed and did the same.

It was dinner time so I made my way to the cafeteria. As I rounded the corner however the wind was knocked out of me and I was sent flying. I slide down a table knocking trays every which way. A couple people screamed. Everything was happening in slow shutter mode. One second I was turning the corner and the next I was sliding down the table food and tray's flying and falling as I hit them. Then I was rolling, two knifes clutched in both hands, off the table and landing on my feet facing the direction of assault; I vaguely wondered how I got them but quickly realized I must have snatched them from two trays.

Gaara stood before me in the door-frame a scowl on his face, his vein on his forehead very apparent. Sand floated all around him as he huffed and gave me eyes of death. I was frozen where I stood holding up my pathetic butter knifes in a stance of defense. "How long?" he finally said through gritted teeth.

"Excuse me?" I said tilting my head to the side as I had no idea what he was asking or talking about.

"How LONG had you been sleeping with him?" he snapped and spit out harshly.

"Oh," I said. It was all that came out. I looked down ashamed. That's when I remembered where we were at. People had backed away from the table. In fact there was a clear set of empty tables around us. Eight tables had been vacated and they all stood back staring at the scene. I didn't really care what these people thought but nonetheless I felt as if I wanted to turn and explain why I did what I did, that I wasn't the type of person to cheat. I wasn't that person. But I had and to many that would be all that mattered.

Annoyed at the silence he continued, "So tell me was it right away?..." he seemed to think about that a second, "He didn't come when your father visited, so it had to be after two years? Was it the first day you came back?" I was stunned and remained silent. I wanted to say something but it was as if my throat had closed in. He strode over and grabbed my wrist, I didn't even try to fight him off. "How long until you forgot about the ring that's suppose to be on this hand? How long until you tossed the ring altogether?" He threw my left hand back towards me and the force almost made me hit myself in the face.

The sand was thick around us and it was getting harder to breathe. "It wasn't right away," I said mutely, my eyes gravitated to the floor. He glared at me to continue.

_Gaara was choking Sasuke. He had him penned up against the wall. Sasuke's hands were up near his throat trying to fight off the attack. He turned and elbowed out of the choke hold. The two were rolling on the floor as they fought. I grabbed something and smacked Gaara in the head. He went limp in Sasuke's arms._

I snapped my head back up at Gaara, "You tried to kill him." I sounded surprised. It shouldn't have been too out of the realm of notion, at least not for this man with the deadly eyes but then my memories only contained the loving husband.

He frowned at my words, "Why are you surprised? You were there."

"I.. I lost my memories when I came here. Or rather I lost them before I came here," I said with a slight frown. "You don't sound remorseful for your actions," I said miffed by how casually he could say he tried to kill Sasuke.

"If he was in front of me now I would kill him. He touched my wife."

"He touched me before I was EVER your wife," I said my anger rising at how possessively he treated me and at how easily he talked of murder.

At my words Gaara flinched. Apparently this was new news to him. "When?"

"When what Gaara?" I asked annoyed. I was tired of this. "When did I first fall in love with him? When did I first kiss him? When did I first sleep with him? OR... When did I first cheat on you with him? Go ahead and ask away. I should warn you though each of those questions were in the sequence of how they happened. Which means I loved him before I ever even knew you. Before the engagement. Before everything."

Gaara was quiet. Thinking, I assumed. He was no longer glaring at me at least.

"I think we should talk," he finally said, his eyes returning to mine. This time there was not a look of death held within them.

"We are talking," I said without pause, my anger still there.

He glanced around and I followed his eyes. People were all staring, forks and spoons frozen midway to mouth for some. "... without the audience," he answered.

"Fine."

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_ I've been getting a lot of reviews to ask if Sasuke will come back in more than a memory. Unfortunately you'll just have too read and find out because answering gives too much away. Soon all will be revealed so far as the past is concerned and then you, the reader, will be like "oooh... so THATS what happened." and it will be right as rain._

_Anyways... I plan to update sooner than I did this last time. And as always please _**COMMENT**.


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